Still on the American elections

SIR: The American national elections might have come and gone with all the interest and anxiety generated, political permutations and projections, both within and outside the shores of the United States. The Winner had emerged and the loser accepted the faith, but what are the lessons inherent for African leaders and particularly Nigerian politicians, political parties, electorate, electoral umpire, security agencies, and indeed the media to learn from this world’s beacon of democracy?

Let us start from the emergence of candidates, particularly the Republican Party flag bearer Mitt Romney who emerged through rigorous and tedious party primaries. Immediately after he won the primary every other aspirant queued behind him and gave him the needed support. It is instructive that none of them defected to any other political party in a desperate bid to seek nomination or to vent anger on the party. Same was applicable to the Democratic Party flag bearer, Barrack Obama who emerged consensually without the power of incumbency playing any visible significant role.

The electioneering campaign itself was so interesting and enlightening, as it was issue driven. Candidates focus majorly on how to revamp the economy, tackle growing unemployment rate, strengthen the middle class, and improve foreign policy direction among others. These are the fundamental and cardinal objectives on which the candidates canvassed to get Americans’ votes.

This is contrary to what obtains in Nigeria where election campaign is far from being constructive. Contestants mount the podium to rain abuses on the oppositions and castigate one another relegating serious and fundamental issues to the background. It is difficult to recollect when elections and party politics in Nigeria were defined by ideology.

Today, almost two years into the Jonathan presidency, the federal government is yet to grapple with the myriad of problems facing the country.

It is also quite instructive that the election in America was violent free. Most often, the two leading candidates; President Barrack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney campaign simultaneously in the same State or even in the same county without any eruption of violence. What a disciplined party followership. This is the hallmark of civilised democracy. Unfortunately, violence has become an embodiment of electioneering campaigns in Nigeria, and indeed Africa. It is equally interesting to note that even with some of the challenges faced by the electoral body in some polling units in the American election; the electoral body was not castigated by the Politicians to undermine the outcome of the election. There were polling units where election did not start on schedule because of lack of electricity to power the voting machines owing to the stormy sandy that left many cities without electricity few days to the presidential elections. Voters waited patiently on a long queue to take their turns. Both the electorate and the Candidates believed in the impartiality of the electoral body. There was no snatching of ballot boxes or other election materials, no reported case of collusion between the electoral bodies with any politician for electoral advantage.

Their Umpires conducted themselves impartially to win the confidence of the stakeholders.

The question is: when will INEC gain the sort of credibility that would earn it the trust and respect of Nigerians as a truly independent body? The Media also has a role to play in this respect. First and foremost, the media has a sacred responsibility to inform, educate and enlighten the people, as guaranteed by the constitution. Hence, the media need to constantly remind political actors about the rules of the game and civilised ways of political conduct.

Perhaps, the most amazing episode in the whole process of the American election was the manner the two principal Candidates accepted the popular will of Americans. Despite the fact that the result was still a forecast and projection from exit polls, the supposed looser had accepted defeat and winner accept victory.

All these are pointers to the fact that we still have a long way to go for our democracy to be firmly rooted. But we will get there if all the stakeholders in the Nigerian project decide to abide by the simple dictate of democracy and do things right all the time.